Monday, May 22, 2023

Adirondack Life & Adirondack Land Trust to present My Adirondacks kids’ photography project

Child taking a photograph in nature.

Jay, NY – Adirondack Life and Adirondack Land Trust announce My Adirondacks, a project that invites kids, ages 5 to 17, to photograph an aspect of the natural world within the Adirondack Park and share why it matters to them. Submissions can be sent to aledit@adirondacklife.com and will be accepted now through August 19, 2023.

The following information is required:

·       Name and age.

·       Where in the Adirondack Park the photo was taken.

·       Up to a few sentences about why the image matters to the person who took it.

» Continue Reading.


Saturday, May 20, 2023

Crown Point Banding Station: New birds, beautiful sunrises, and cuckoo flowers

Canada Warbler

Here I am again at the Ticonderoga Library, getting a break from the Crown Point Banding Station after catching some nice birds this morning [May 16.]  [We will be] looking out for some thunderstorms this afternoon, which should knock down some birds that have been flying right over us for a couple days. We caught some new birds (for this year) to band this morning, [including] Tree Swallow, Canada Warbler, and a Brown Thrasher just before I left (which is the bird on the cover of the bird list for the Crown Point Historic Site.)

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, May 14, 2023

Recreation Highlight: Protect the Peregrines, Rock Climbing Closures in the ADKs

Climber scales a rock

The elusive and endangered Peregrine Falcon calls the craggy cliffs and mountainsides of the Adirondacks its home. Peregrines dive at incredible speeds and can be seen sailing along the sides of high rock faces throughout the early summer. The fascinating birds are monogamous, have long lifespans, and often return to the same nests year after year with their chosen partner.

» Continue Reading.


Saturday, May 13, 2023

A Favorite Pastime: Banding birds at the Crown Point Banding Station

White blooming hepatica.

[I’m] writing this from the Ticonderoga Library…a real nice library [that is] open Tuesday through Saturday. I’m at the Crown Point Banding Station for a couple weeks trying to catch migrating birds coming from the south to their homes in the north (and some right at and around the station itself.) We’ve had lots of visitors in the four days we have been open…both people and birds. We thought we might have missed the migrants with all the warm weather we had earlier in the year, but not so.

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, May 7, 2023

Eye Candy, Cough Syrup, and Early Flowers

After many months (five-plus where I live) of winter whiteness, it’s a relief to watch the snow melt at last. We’re always grateful, even though the loss of snow cover gives way to a mostly brown world: brown grass, sand everywhere – even brown pine needles along the roads. Not to mention the leaves, trash, or dog poop that was mercifully hidden under the snow. Those few sepia-toned weeks after the white stuff disappears and before trees and grass wake up can be visually bleak.

» Continue Reading.


Saturday, May 6, 2023

ADK Spring: Wildflowers, rain showers & migrating birds

Virginia bluebells

[Locally, the weather] has been April showers that bring May flowers, and it also lessened the fire danger by keeping the leaf litter wet. The outdoor burning ban is still on until May 14. If we get some more warm days, the trees should be pushing out their leaves and flowers. Several wildflowers have popped out from the leaf cover and showed us their beauty. Yellow coltsfoot lines the roadsides in many places and the flowers face the sun as it goes from east to west. It looks like a dandelion flower, but it has little leaves on the stem of the flowers. Wild oats is a single yellow hanging bell, [and] the trout lily is out everywhere with its yellow flower and speckled green and brown leaves.

» Continue Reading.


Tuesday, May 2, 2023

If You Care, Leave It There: Respecting Wildlife Reminder

Fawn in grass.

As the weather warms up, it’s common to encounter local wildlife while walking, hiking, or biking. When you see these critters, leave them be and do your best not to disturb their natural routine.

Fawns are a great example of animals that may appear around your lawn, garden, or local trails. Newly born whitetail deer spend many of their early days hidden and protected among tall grass, leaf litter, or other natural and man-made shelters. You may find them laying in a flower bed, alongside a trail, or even curled up in an open field. Mother deer will return to their fawns regularly to nurse but may delay their next visit if they detect human activity nearby.

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, April 30, 2023

Many Garden and Ornamental Plants can be Harmful to People and Pets 

Tulips

The types of plants we choose for our flower gardens are mostly a matter of personal preference. But, as we welcome the arrival of spring flowers, and with the promise of summer still ahead, it’s important that we know which of those plants our four-legged friends can check out or play in safely. Many popular spring flowers are among the more than 700 plants that produce compounds which have been identified as being toxic to people and/or pets. The following are just three of the most common spring garden flowers that can cause harm (or worse) if eaten by a much-loved pet.  » Continue Reading.


Saturday, April 29, 2023

Bird watching, an earthquake, and a trip to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Spring flowers

There was a bit of a cool down this week, with several mornings in the twenties after a week in the much higher temperatures. Mother Nature even threw in an inch of snow one morning. Then at the end of the week, it was up in the high seventies again. Then, the skies opened last night [April 23] with a downpouring of rain and that lasted most of today [April 24]. We had well over an inch and a half, just looking at my little creek that goes under the driveway. The culvert on the ski trail was partially plugged and the water was running down along the trail and into my pond until I cleaned out the culvert. The pond was getting enough water from the spring creek that runs into it…and it was up about a foot.

» Continue Reading.


Wednesday, April 26, 2023

SUNY-ESF Adirondack Interpretive Center announces roundup of May/June events

Bird on a branch

The SUNY-ESF Adirondack Interpretive Center (AIC) has announced a variety of events set for May and June that is sure to appeal to a wide array of nature and outdoor enthusiasts. All of the below programs require pre-registration.

» Continue Reading.


Saturday, April 22, 2023

In Loving Memory: Brother Bob joins Dad at family’s deer camp

Family at Memorial rock.

DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos reminded me that this is Earth Week. With most of the snow gone from the roadsides and other traveled trails, it might be good to do a little litter picking to spruce up the area for visitors as they travel here. With record temperatures in the 80s in most parts of the state, the snow took it in the shorts almost everywhere. [The] ice in all the lakes is out, with Blue Mountain and Big Moose Lakes being the last to go out on Sunday [April 9]. Luckily, there was very little wind to move the shifting ice around where it would do damage to docks and boathouses around the lakes. Better catch what water you can now, as the snow runoff is about over and [then] it will take rainfall to fill the Fulton Chain. With the wacky weather, you never know if we are going to get a gully washer or sprinkles.

» Continue Reading.


Saturday, April 22, 2023

The Wild Center kicks off 2023 season on May 5

The Wild Center in Tupper Lake.

Tupper Lake, NY – The Wild Center is opening for its 2023 season on Friday, May 5. Off the heels of a USA Today Readers’ Award where it was voted Second Best Science Museum in the U.S., The Wild Center is expanding its offerings and activities with new exhibits and experiences. Among these offerings is Backyard Wilderness – a film that captures the beauty and complexity of the natural world that exists just beyond your doorstep and Birdly – a state-of-the-art virtual reality (VR) flying simulator.

 

Produced by the award-winning SK Films, Backyard Wilderness offers a stunning cinematic experience that transports viewers into the hidden world of nature in their own backyard. Through breathtaking visuals and engaging storytelling, the film reveals the extraordinary lifecycles and relationships of the plants and animals that surround us every day. The film will be shown daily in The Wild Center’s Flammer Theater, a state-of-the-art cinema with 50-foot screen and advanced sound system, and included with general admission. On-site programming will complement the movie’s content, inspiring visitors to engage and appreciate the natural world in their own backyard.

» Continue Reading.


Monday, April 17, 2023

Crocuses Ring In the Flower Season 

Crocuses

“Behold, my friends. The spring is come. The earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun. And we shall soon see the results of their love.” – Sitting Bull

 

It snowed during the night. But the snow turned to rain early in the morning. And by the afternoon, the sun was shining, bright and warm. I was mulling over the winter’s damage to yard trees and shrubs and considering the clean-up that lay ahead when something caught my eye; a splash of color amidst the thawing mat of leaves and needles, and patches of icy, dirty snow still covering the winter-weary ground. I took a few steps toward it and sure enough. There they were. The first of the spring crocuses; a cheery reminder that winter would soon be coming to an end and that the full beauty of spring lies ahead.

» Continue Reading.


Saturday, April 15, 2023

Spying crocuses, banding birds & enjoying Spring weather

Crocus

Our weather has been rather pleasant with nice days up into the forties and fifties, and then cooling down [at] night into the teens. The folks to the north of us got a bad ice storm, knocking out power in many parts of Canada. We had some thunderstorms roll through here on Wednesday [April 5] with some hail, but nothing like the quarter-size hail they got up in Martinsburg by Lowville. I had taken my truck down to Utica for repairs, and they gave me a brand-new [Toyota] RAV4 to take home that day.

» Continue Reading.


Saturday, April 15, 2023

Lights Out Initiative set for peak bird migrations in Spring & Fall

Gray catbird

Looking for an easy way to take care of your bird friends this migration season? Did you know each year during spring migration many birds that are navigating the night sky become disoriented from artificial building lighting? Not only does city lighting deter the navigational abilities of migrating birds, but it also leads to an increase in fatal building collisions, killing an estimated 1 billion birds annually.

» Continue Reading.



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The Adirondack Almanack

The Adirondack Almanack is a public forum dedicated to promoting and discussing current events, history, arts, nature and outdoor recreation and other topics of interest to the Adirondacks and its communities

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